Unseen Angels
by The Unsolvable Riddle
Summary: Seto Kaiba didn't believe in Guardian Angels, until he realized their wings and halos aren't always visible...(Chapter 4 Up!)
1. Prelude

AN/Warnings: This is it. This is my idea for a story with more than three chapters, that I actually planned out. It's a miracle. Big project for me, so I'll be spending quite a lot of time on this.

Seto angst. Will possibly be a deathfic, which I will try to avoid as long as I can. I already have the last chapter in my mind, though, so it's kind of inevitable. Possibility of light shounen-ai. Don't like, don't read. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Yuugiou, if I did, I wouldn't be making this up, and the entire show would be so much more angst filled. Dr. Umeki is based on a girl I knew when I was in elementary school. She taught me how to write my name in kanji. ^__^ I also did a good amount of research on Seto's illness over the internet.

Hope you enjoy.

Unseen Angels

****

Prelude 

(Dr. Umeki's Narrative)

Kaiba-kun, the only patient who never actually calls for me on his own free will. Mokuba Kaiba, his younger brother, always forces him to call me, or the younger boy did it himself. 

I arrive at the main gate, and ring to be let in.

"Welcome to the Kaiba Estate. Who is speaking?" Came a female voice. I pressed the buzzer again.

"This is Doctor Kazuza Umeki. I'm here to see Seto Kaiba."

There was silence, as the gates slowly opened. I walked up the long cobblestone path, and was let in again at the main door. 

The receptionist, a young girl, must of been the same person who let me in. I approached the desk, rapping my fingernails on the desk to catch her attention.

She was arranging papers. When she looked up, she smiled, but it was a worried one. 

"You must be Doctor Umeki. Kaiba-kun is in his office, with his brother. You know the way, yes? I'll call him and tell him you're coming." She picked up the phone, and dialed two numbers. 

"Hello, Kaiba-kun? Oh, Mokuba! Tell your brother the doctor is here to see him. Okay. Bye." She kept the phone cradled against her ear, and dialed another number. She gave me the thumbs up, and waved me off.

I smiled, bowed in thanks, and walked across the room, to the elevator. Pressing the up button, I tapped my foot as I waited.

I'm a very impatient person. 

I had to go up three floors to reach Kaiba-kun's office. When I reached the large doors to his main office, and knocked, I must of startled Kaiba-kun, because I heard the shuffle of papers and Mokuba's giggle. 

"Come in." Came his voice. I turned the brass handle, and at the other side of the room were the two brothers. 

Kaiba-kun was sitting at his desk, writing something. Mokuba was sitting on one of the couches, swinging his feet back and forth. 

When I reached the desk, I bowed quickly, and Kaiba-kun motioned for me to take a seat. I sat down, Mokuba smiled at me, and the continued to swing his legs.

"Alright." He put down his pen, and looked straight at me. It was rather unnerving. "I suppose Mokuba called you here, yes?"

"Yes, Kaiba-kun." It's very strange. I talk to this young man more formally than I talked to my professors at medical school. "May I ask what you think made him do so?" He sighed, and Mokuba spoke for him.

"He's been coughing a lot, and he falls asleep really early, sometimes he's asleep when I get home from school. At first he just had a cough, but it's been getting really bad. I'm surprised he hasn't coughed the entire time you've been here."

Kaiba-kun rolls his eyes. "It's not that bad, Moku-" Ironically, he breaks into a coughing fit. It's a very deep cough, almost a hacking one. He grabs a tissue from his desk drawer, and holds his chest with one hand, as if it's painful to do so. 

Mokuba looks at me pointedly, and I nod. 

"Kaiba-kun, may I see that tissue?" He looks at me like I'm crazy, but hesitantly hands me the crumpled tissue.

I bite my lip when I see the blood. Mokuba suddenly starts to swing his legs faster, and Kaiba-kun is staring at me. 

"How long have you been coughing up blood, Kaiba-kun?" It's my and Mokuba's turn to stare at the young CEO. I suspect he didn't tell his younger brother, either. Then again, that's so like him.

"About a month now. It used to be small amounts, but it's gotten worse." He doesn't even try to make it sound better than it is.

"Do you smoke?" I say this so quickly, he almost misses it. When he comprehends, he glares at me. 

"No. Never."

"Gozaburo used to smoke." Mokuba mutters, looking down at the ground. "He used to smoke a lot. Cigars sometimes, cigarettes mostly." I look back at Kaiba-kun, who confirms this. 

"He'd smoke at least two packs a day." The older brother adds. "I wouldn't let Mokuba into the room if he was smoking. It was hard, but…" He trails off, and Mokuba nods. 

Kaiba-kun starts coughing again, and it quickly turns into a hacking one. When he stops, he's almost out of breath, and his face is pink. He quickly wipes the blood off of his lips, but Mokuba notices it. He looks at me, his eyes begging me to do something. 

"Kaiba-kun, I want you to come and see me within the week. It could be tuberculosis, pneumonia, bronchitis, anything like that. Okay?" I put my business card on the desk, and he nods, and goes back to whatever paperwork he was doing. It's not the kind of nod a guilty student gives a teacher, it's more of a nod that an annoyed teenager gives a parent. It's an 'I'll think about it' nod. "Kaiba-kun." I say much more urgently. "Promise me." 

He looks up at me, his blue eyes staring back defiantly. 

"I'll try." 

I suppose that's the best answer I can ever hope to get from Seto Kaiba. I really should have used the Mokuba weak point. 

"Thank you, Kaiba-kun." I stand up, bow again, and walk out of his office, almost slamming the door behind me. I can faintly hear Mokuba's voice, probably trying to get his brother to go. 

I reached the reception, and sighed.

"How is he?" The young receptionist tucked some of her black hair behind her ear. 

"I'm worried, Kaiba-kun didn't seem too happy to come visit. If you don't mind, miss…?"

"Just call me Mihoko."

"Mihoko-san, does Kaiba-kun have an opening an hour opening anytime next week? I hate to do this behind his back, but please, just pencil him in if you can. I'd really appreciate it." I plead with her. She nods, and smiles. 

"Of course, Dr. Umeki. If Kaiba-kun dies, I'll be out of a job again," She laughed. "I can sneak it in on Tuesday." She winks, takes a pencil, and writes something in on the schedule beneath her. "I'll tell Kaiba-kun on Tuesday morning, he rarely remembers his schedule by himself anyway. If I get fired, it's your fault." She laughed again, and I grinned. 

"Thank you so much, Mihoko-san."

"No problem. I'll just have to face the wrath of Seto Kaiba if he finds out. If you even want to mess with Kaiba-kun's schedule again, call me, ne?" She waved as I opened the front door, and I could still see her smiling when she opened the gates for me.

---------

End of Chapter Notes: I never usually write notes at the end. I'm doing this because I couldn't at the top, or I'd give stuff away. 

Don't worry, the relationship between Dr. Umeki and Seto is strictly business-like. I just needed a (rather concerned) doctor, and thought her up, as well as the receptionist.

Dr. Umeki and the receptionist (Mihoko) refer to Seto as Kaiba-kun, because it just sounded right, and it wouldn't leave me alone.

Those other characters probably won't be in the next chapter, but the third one for sure.


	2. Overture

Yep, two chapter has arrived. Yay! 

Not much to say. Contains a power walking Seto. Oh, and 'tearing' doesn't mean ripping, it means he looks like he's about to cry. X3

Also note the one change of narrative that lasts until the end.

Unseen Angels

****

Overture 

****

(Mokuba's Narrative)

Nisama has a doctor's appointment this morning. 

Mihoko, his new receptionist looked very nervous when she told my brother, but he didn't seem to notice anything. He just nodded, and told her to call him an hour before he was expected.

He was typing some new program on his computer, and didn't even look at her when she came in to read his schedule for the day. I was sitting on the couch, as usual, humming to myself, and watching Mihoko.

A look of victory that my brother didn't notice passed over her face when he dismissed her, she bowed, and walked out. 

I think my Nisama was tricked. I giggled, and swung my legs back and forth. 

"Would you like to share with the class what's so amusing?" The slightly softer than usual voice of my brother came in. I grinned, and shook my head.

"No, Nisama." He grunted, and continued to type, his fingers racing along the keyboard. It made me dizzy just watching him.

Half an hour later, the phone rang. He grunted again, which meant I was to answer it. 

My brother speaks in a language all his own, which consists mostly of glares, grunts and one word answers.

"Hello, Seto Kaiba's office." I responded automatically, cradling the phone against my ear and swing my legs back and forth. "Oh, hi Mihoko! Yup, I'll tell my brother. Bye." 

"Nisama, your appointment is in an hour. Mihoko says so." I added, with a teasing, sarcastic voice, as if Mihoko was our mother, and I was threatening him.

"Oh, yes, because, as we all know Mihoko's word is law." He pushes back his chair, and stretches his arms above him. I giggled, and he gives me one of his rare, brief smiles. I beam back.

Nisama likes it when I laugh at one of his jokes, as sarcastic and as dark as they may be.

"Nisama, can I come with you? Please?" I beg, tearing my eyes up, so it looks like I'm about to cry.

"Don't do that." He warns, standing up and putting his computer into hibernation. 

He snatches a tissue from his desk, and starts to cough. It's low, and comes from his chest. He clutches it with one hand, his eyes closed and wincing. I hover around him nervously, and when he stops, he swats me away. 

"But Nisama-!" I follow him as he puts on his trench coat, holding on to it, getting a free ride down the stairs. He's taking the long way on purpose, to try and shake me off. 

"No, Mokuba! Besides, I don't want you catching anything there."

He's at the reception, Mihoko watching, amused. She knows the outcome of this duel of willpower. I shall be the victor! Bwahahah.

Heh, I'm starting to sound like Nisama.

He almost makes it to the door, and he makes a huge mistake.

He looks back. I mean, how many times have I pulled this on him? He falls for it every single time. Heh. 

I sniff, and walk, rejected, back to the elevator. 

My Nisama sighs, and grunts. The sigh and grunt roughly translates into 'Oh, alright.' I can tell by the tone and the context in which it has been used.

Turning around and grinning, I launch myself at him, and he catches me. 

"You are so strange." He mutters, and puts me down. A grinning Mihoko opens the front gate for him, and we walk to the doctor's office. No need to take the limo, or any of his cars, for such a short trip. 

Yeah, right. 

The doctor's office is a good forty-five minute walk away. 

So, during the last thirty minutes, I force Nisama to give me a piggyback the rest of the way. 

Hey, I walked for fifteen minutes I, even as a child, only have so much energy. Running, especially after a good amount of sugar, I can do.

My Nisama is a mean power walker, though. He power walks as fast as some grown men can run. He tears up the sidewalk. It's tiring, having to physically run after him while he looks like he's strolling along. 

I, Mokuba Kaiba, did not inherit such a thing. Must be some weird CEO-I-am-all-powerful thing. Businessmen power walk everywhere, they always seem like they're late or in a hurry.

My extra weight didn't slow down my Nisama, which was slightly disturbing. I rested my head against the back of his, the pace and rhythm of his walking lulling me to sleep. 

He quickly drops me, and starts coughing again. It's the same cough, but he doesn't get the tissue in time, so some blood drops to the ground and marks the pavement.

"Nisama, are you alright?" I hop from one foot to the other, and he nods, still coughing. He winces, his chest heaving up and down. He bends over, still coughing.

"Ah, shit." He whispers, wiping the blood off of his mouth. Picking me up again, he makes it to the doctor's office without coughing, but I think he was choking some back.

----

"Seto Kaiba?" The nurse appeared in the doorway. He stood up, and told me to stay here.

Sadly, he never looked back. 

----

****

(Change of Narrative - Dr. Housou)

I had been talking to Dr. Umeki, who was worried about the famous CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba. He had an appointment now, but she wasn't sure if he would come.

She said he had a deep, worsening cough, and had coughed up blood. His little brother had told her that he fell asleep much to early. His adoptive father had been a cigarette addict.

"I don't know, Satoshi, it could be anything. Pneumonia, bronchitis, God, it could be anything."

I nodded, and she asked me to take him for her. Perhaps he'd talk about it more to me.

"It's a male thing." She insisted, and I just smiled.

Luckily, Seto Kaiba did appear. The nurse brought him in, a bit frightened by the threatening young man. He sat down on the table, and eyed the room carefully, as if he was evaluating it. 

"So, Kaiba-kun, Kazuza tells me you've had a bad cough?" I looked up at the man, who stared back evenly.

"Yes, it's gotten worse over the course of a few months. I've…well, I've been coughing up blood as well." He looks out the window, and I write a few things down, before walking over to the sink.

"Alright. I'll just do a basic check-up to start with, we'll go from there." I wrap the stethoscope around my neck. "If you don't mind, just take off your shirt." I'm washing my hands, but I can feel him stare at me for a second, before the sound of clothing on the floor is heard. 

Drying my hands, I walk over to him, and check his breathing. 

He flinches at the cold metal, but quickly relaxes, and breathes. 

His breathing is long and labored, sounding heavy and his lungs are clogged. 

It's specifically very bad in his upper right lung. 

As if to prove my theory, he starts the cough that Kazuza described to me. Deep and hacking, and blood appears on his hands and lips. 

"Kaiba-kun, do you mind if I do an X-Ray of your lungs?" 

A fleeting panic appears across his face, and I step back from the young man.

"No. No, not at all." I pass him a wet paper towel, and he wipes the blood off of his hands and mouth.

"Come with me, Kaiba-kun." I open the door, as he throws his shirt back on. 

----

"As you can see…" I wandered off, and Seto Kaiba studied the X-Rays carefully. 

I had called him back a few days after, telling him that I needed to see him very soon. Immediately, if possible. 

"There's a shadow in your upper right lung." He stares at me, as if this isn't really happening to him. I circle the area in red pen.

"Are you saying I have cancer?" He's so blunt about it, it's almost scary. I can't give him a straight yes or no.

"You see, you could have lung cancer. If this is true, you most likely got it from your adoptive father."

He gives me such a venomous glare, I nearly took a step back. This quickly disappears, though, and I continue.

"There are two types of lung cancer. SCLC, or small-cell lung cancer. This is a rarer form. SCLC grows much more rapidly than NSCLC, or non-small-cell lung cancer. There's also a much higher risk of it spreading."

"To where?" His voice never changes, it's like this barely means anything to him.

"The rest of your lung, your left lung, other parts of your body." He nods.

"What parts, specifically?" I sigh. He really just wants all of the bad facts, doesn't he?

"Your bones, brain, liver or near your kidneys. But, please, Kaiba-kun, you must understand, it's possible it's not lung cancer. I could simply be calcium nodules, which are harmless."

"Is there anyway you can give me a straight answer?" He looks at me, then back to the X-Rays. 

"Yes. If you come back for a CT scan, it will make it much clearer on what exactly is in your lung. Then, we can go for a diagnosis." He nods, and stands up, taking out his checkbook.

After paying, I watched him leave, his little brother running besides him.

Of all the people, in all of the world…

--------------------------

End of Chapter Notes: All very medical, ne? Anyway, a CT scan is like a three-dimensional X-Ray. I've been doing my research on lung cancer. ^__^

I hope to get the next chapter up soon. Until then, you'll have to wait to see if Seto really does have cancer. Eheheh. *pats Seto*


	3. Sonata

Thanks a bunch for the reviews. ^___^

Because I'm lazy, the disclaimer in the first chapter applies to all chapters. Bonus points and Yuugiou love to you if you know where I'm getting my chapter titles from.

I'm trying to keep Seto like Seto for as long as I can help it. He's so much more fun to write as a cynical bastard. Alas, character development always finds it way…

This chapter takes place about maybe a week or so after the first one, and Seto's had his CT scan, but not the results...

Unseen Angels

****

Sonata

(Dr. Housou's Narrative)

I've stared at the results from the scan at least twenty times in the last hour. 

I still can't summon the nerve to call him. 

My hands tremble over the phone, as I sit down in my chair. 

Kazuza stuck a Post-It on top of my computer which has been haunting me all day. At first, it was just whispering for me to call, but now it's screaming. 

I sigh, and pick up the receiver. My fingers, now getting sweaty, slide over the numbers. 

I wait. Someone picks up after two rings.

"Hello, Kaiba Corporation. How may I help you?" A young lady answers the phone, and I completely forget why I'm calling. 

There's silence, and it snaps back to me.

"Oh, hello. This is Dr. Housou. May I speak to Seto Kaiba?"

"One minute, I'll see if he's busy."

She puts me on hold, and the music is somewhere between somber and depressing. 

Then again, that's Seto Kaiba for you. I haven't even known him for that long, and I'm saying that. Imagine what people who really know him think.

"Dr. Housou? Kaiba-kun will speak with you now." There's a little static, and his voice comes in, sounding deeper than usual on the phone.

"Yes?"

----

(Change of Narrative - Mokuba)

My brother is talking to someone on the phone. I can tell it's not another businessman, because he doesn't have that set glare on that people can feel down the phone.

"Yes, yes…I see. Okay. No, no, it's not your fault."

God, it must be bad. My Nisama is **consoling **someone?

"Okay. I'll be down there tomorrow. Thanks. Bye." His voice sounds strained, and I think he's holding back a cough.

He only proves me right when he winces, and looks at me. He looks as though he's about to say something, when;

That's right. The cough that was bouncing around in his lungs escapes, and he's into the third box of tissues in a week. 

When he's done, I stare at him. He stares back evenly, and I loose. 

I'm the first to look away. It's a game we play when we have nothing better to do.

He smirks, but this quickly disappears, as if he just remembered something. 

"Mokuba. I…I'm very sick." I stare at him again. 

"What? What is it? Is it pneumonia, like Dr. Umeki said?" He runs a hand through his hair, an almost uncomfortable look on his face.

"No, Mokuba. Worse than that. They think it's lung cancer."

I must have a horrified look on my face, because my Nisama stands up and walks over to me. He kneels down to my height, and I stare at him. Right into his deep blue eyes, which is something I've **never **done before.

I don't see the Kaiba that yells at someone over the phone at least once a day. I don't see the Kaiba-kun that's more worried about Duel Monsters and deadlines than his own life. I don't see the Seto Kaiba who tells Yugi Motou every day that magic doesn't exist.

I see my Nisama, as plain as he'll ever be. My Nisama, who only has the last hope, faith and trust in magic. It's dying fast. 

****

You can't take my Nisama away from me!

"It's not fair…" I whisper, and the strangest smile I've ever seen passes across his lips. He puts his hands on my shoulders, and looks at me seriously, as if he was talking to someone his own age.

"Please, Mokuba, if I do die, you have to promise me one thing."

"What, Nisama?"

"Don't cry for me. I'm not worth it."

I take a step back, and he looks down at the floor, still at my height.

How can he say that? He's all I've got left! He's being so selfish! 

I run out of his office, out of the building, down the street, out of sight of Kaiba Corporation's main building..

I just need to run, as if I have all of the energy in the world. If I run, everything's going to get better, and everything that's tried to hurt me, that my Nisama protected me from, will disappear, like it never even existed. 

I'm staring at the pavement, trying to laser it away. 

This isn't fair!

"Ah! Mokuba?" I slow down, and realize Yugi Motou is now behind me, he must of turned onto this street from an alleyway. I turn my head, and his expression deepens into a concerned one.

I'm walking now, and this change of pace breaks me. I stand still, and Yugi catches up with me.

"Mokuba? Mokuba, what's wrong?" I stare at the ground, and try to choke out words, but they're being held in my throat. 

"Nisama…" Is all I can manage. Yugi pauses.

"Look at me, Mokuba." His voice is soft, but it sounds much more dangerous than it used to.

I continue to stare at the sidewalk. I don't want to look at him. 

"Mokuba!" His voice sends a chill up my spine, and my head snaps up to meet Yugi's, who looks just as surprised as me.

Whoever just talked to me definitely wasn't the Yugi Motou I knew.

"Sorry." I barely catch this whisper, and Yugi continues with his interrogation.

"Mokuba, please, tell me what's wrong." That pyramid puzzle around his neck stares at me with one, big, questioning eye. 

"My Nisama, he's really sick," I almost sob. "He's got cancer." Yugi gasped, and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a hug.

"I'm so sorry." 

This apology isn't the kind you hear from people who feel that they're supposed to say something. This is the kind of apology that makes you realize there is such a thing as deep sorrow that can tear away at you. 

I start to realize that my Nisama meant more to Yugi than any of us ever knew. Not in the way that Jounouchi, Anzu or Honda mean to him, but in a different way. I'm not sure how to explain it.

My Nisama was always there, to stand before Yugi and tell him to wake up, to stop dreaming, to face reality.

I think my Nisama is the one still trapped in nightmares.

Yugi tugs on my sleeve, and motions back in the direction of the Kaiba Corp. building. 

I can only nod slowly, and Yugi smiles.

We start to walk back to where all of my problems are waiting.

----

****

(Change of Narrative - Yugi)

Mokuba is so, I don't know. So much like Kaiba-kun, but somehow much more different.

We arrive back at Kaiba-kun's main building, and the receptionist lets us in. 

Mokuba doesn't seem to know what to do from here. He stands by the elevator, his finger hovering over the button. When he finally presses it, it's like he just made a life-changing decision.

I open the door to Kaiba-kun's office slowly, but he doesn't even look up when I step in, Mokuba at my heels. 

"Kaiba-kun?" I venture further into his office, but he keeps his head down.

"Nisama? Nisama, I'm sorry-"

"Just go." His voice is cold and harsh, as usual. Mokuba takes a step back, but I grab his arm, and shake my head. I'm not going to be threatened by Kaiba-kun. Not this time.

"Kaiba-kun, please, tell me-" 

I gasp when he stands up, slamming his hands down on the desk.

"If there's anything you can do for me? Unless you can stop death, Motou, I doubt it." He growls, his hair hiding his eyes. 

"Nisama." Mokuba mutters behind me, his voice thick, on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry, Yugi." He says quickly. I just nod. 

I've been fighting with mou hitori no boku this entire time, he's been 'irked', to say it lightly. Just when I'm about to leave, I can feel the Puzzle tremble. My 'darkness' floods my mind, and I stop right in front of the door, my hand retreating from the doorknob. 

He twirls around on his heel, eyes flaring up.

"Kaiba!" He growls, marching back up to the desk. I'm in the back of my mind, begging him not to do anything rash. 

Seto Kaiba, who has just sat back down, looks up at him as if he's bored, and has nothing better to do. 

This just fuels his fire.

"Yugi was just trying to help! Have you no compassion?!" He yells, and by the glint in Seto's eye, I can tell he caught mou hitori no boku's mistake.

He called me Yugi. I sigh, but Kaiba's eyes suddenly widen.

Two hands clamp around his mouth, and he closes his eyes as he starts to cough. Mokuba rushes up to him, hovering like a worried mother. 

----

(Change of Narrative - Yami Yugi)

Kaiba's eyes open as he coughs, and he stares at me. It's unnerving, because as his chest heaves, and his body shakes, that cold and threatening blue gaze never falters. 

Two can play at that game. I stare back, and I can see dark laughter passing through his eyes. Even though this is replaced by pain from coughing so long and hard, he starts to become blurry, I've been staring at him for too long. 

When he stops coughing, we're both still staring at each other.

I dare Kaiba to look down at his hands, which are now flecked with red in the corner of my vision. He dares me to look away, and loose at his own game. Which I can't let happen. 

Mokuba notices, and smiles, because at the moment, everything is all right. His brother isn't just going to die, because his brother simply **can't**. I don't fully believe him myself.

Yugi finally summons the power to regain control, and when he realizes I've been staring at Kaiba, he blushes and looks away. I curse in the abyss that is my Aibou's mind, and Kaiba smirks. 

Damn it. I hate when I loose.

---------------------

End of Chapter Notes: We'll be giving Seto a diagnosis next chapter, courtesy of Dr. Housou and Dr. Umeki. *both doctors wave*

"Mou hitori no boku" means "the other me", usually used to refer to Yami Yugi.

I intentionally portrayed Yami Yugi as a young man who doesn't care about the fine details, he still sees Seto Kaiba as he always has, and doesn't fully grasp the finality of death, perhaps because he's avoided it for so long. A bit like an adult, a bit like a child. *pats Yami Yugi* 


	4. Intermezzo

Here's chapter four, which officially makes this my longest fan fiction. 

We're going to take a break from Seto and Mokuba and join those other main characters. Yeah, remember them? ^__^; I know I'd said I'd give Seto a diagnosis, but I really needed some outside narrative. Jounouchi, Honda, Otogi, Mai, Ryou, Malik and even Sugoroku will all have a much more powerful narrative later in the story. 

I think I might of changed Anzu a little, made her a bit deeper, but maybe she is and no one gives her credit for it. ^___^ I personally don't hate Anzu, she deserves much more than what the dub made her out to be. 

Anzu: *poses*

Unseen Angels

****

Intermezzo

(Anzu's Narrative)

Yugi was late meeting us a the new Italian restaurant in town. 

However, the Yugi Motou that stepped through the door was not the Yugi I knew.

My, no, **our** Yugi was cheerful and almost bouncy, on the verge of a giggling schoolgirl at times, but painfully shy. When he was worried, he tried to encourage himself with optimism, and always hope for the best. He was basically everything you could want in a friend. 

The Yugi that walked through the door almost scared me. He actually looked depressed, which is something I haven't seen in a long time. He practically dragged himself over to our table, where me, Honda, Jounouchi and Ryou were. We were expecting Otogi as well, but that man had his own agenda. 

"Yugi? Are you alright?" Honda finally spoke for all of us, with Jounouchi soon right behind him.

"Yeah, you getting beat up again? I swear to God-" Jounouchi looked ready to storm out of the restaurant, but Yugi shook his head. 

"It's not that. Kaiba-kun…" He wandered off, looking down at the floor. 

"Yugi?" Ryou spoke up, his voice trying to coax an answer out of him. Yugi took a seat in-between Ryou and Jounouchi, and put his head into his cupped hands. 

He whispered something, but only Ryou seemed to catch it. "Mokuba? What's the matter, Yugi?" 

Yugi sighed, as if something heavy was on his shoulders. 

"It's Kaiba-kun-"

"Is he bothering you, Yugi? I'll-" Yugi cut off the blonde once more.

"It's not that, Jounouchi. Kaiba-kun is really sick. I ran into Mokuba on the way here. He said it was cancer." His voice was weak, he was struggling to find words.

Ryou's face went totally blank, before he shook his head and put on his usual worried expression. I stared at Yugi.

"We're talking about the same Seto Kaiba, yes? He's, just, almost invincible." I replied, and Yugi nodded. He knew exactly what I was talking about.

Seto Kaiba was some kind of twisted constant in our lifestyle. He was just always around, as if he was tracking us, or we gave off some kind of intriguing aura. Kaiba-kun was just like our second shadow, our anti-thesis, someone who knew how to prove us wrong. 

He was the very thing that made us all stronger. For Yugi and mou hitori no Yugi, it was to make sure Seto Kaiba never went too far, to try and get him to believe in magic, in the Heart of the Cards. For Jounouchi and Honda, he was just another cynical bastard who they had to prove themselves to. I'm not sure about Ryou, but he always seems to know something that even Yugi might not know. 

For me, he is just another challenge. 

He was our iced-over pond in an endless winter. We skated all over him, thrilled by the fact that he might crack, but terrified that he might take us under with him, and freeze our hearts as well. 

You must realize, though, that Seto Kaiba is always the lesser of our two evils, if that's even fair. Sometimes he's a help, and sometimes he's a hindrance. Sometimes he's both. The only thing that gives me hope in that man is the human, the normality I sometimes see when he's with his brother. 

But I've never seen him smile. Well, he smirks, but that's not the same. A real smile. Like the endless ones Yugi shares, or Jounouchi and Honda's goofy grins, or Ryou's shy but adorable one. 

I'm not exactly fond of Seto Kaiba, but I must admit he's handsome, and he must look **gorgeous **when he really smiles. Mokuba is adorable when he grins, but I suspect Kaiba-kun's smile is much more shy and quiet. 

Oh, God. I'm fantasizing about Seto Kaiba. Have mercy.

"Anzu. Anzu!" Comes Jounouchi's voice. I almost jump out of my seat, and blush five different shades of pink. No more thinking about Kaiba-kun. It's bad for me.

Honda looks up, and there's Otogi, waltzing in like he owns the place. He's actually braiding a small section of his hair, but he stops when he sees our faces. 

"Aren't we all happy bunnies today." He grabs a chair from a different table and sits down next to Honda. 

"Shut up, Otogi." Jounouchi mutters, and Otogi realizes that even Yugi seems depressed. This automatically means something very bad has, or is about to happen. 

"Yugi heard that Kaiba-kun has cancer." I spoke up, and Otogi stared for at me for a minute. He doesn't even know Seto Kaiba like we do (which still isn't much at all, come to think of it), and he even looks distressed. 

The pizza arrived, along with Ryou's pasta. Jounouchi grabbed a slice, and chewed thoughtfully. He passed a piece to Honda, and then to everyone else who needed one. 

Ryou twirled his linguini, that same strange blank look on his face, as if someone was reprogramming his mind.

"Maybe we should go see him. You know," I offered, leaving out the obvious. Yugi almost laughed, still staring at the table.

"I already went with Mokuba. It's like he doesn't even care." 

He looks so adorably sad, it's like I could go over there and just **hug **him. Not that it would make anything better, but he looks like he needs escape. 

I don't think any of us have realized it yet, but Seto Kaiba is much more than another face we know, another duelist to watch out for. 

As much as he'd hate to admit it, he's become a part of Yugi & Co., a part of who we are. He's Seto Kaiba, and we all need him to fuction as he always has, not to leave us wondering what he would do in our place, but to yell at us and state the hidden obvious. To just be there and intimidate us, make us feel inferior, so we can strive to be better. Better than the inhuman human that stands before us with cold blue eyes. 

As sad as it sounds, Seto Kaiba is our voice of reason, our Guardian Demon. With his strictly technological mind and inhuman morals, he brings us back down from our ego trips and from our victories with his cold words and stabbing glares. His balance on the scale of life might be Mokuba, but we only weigh into the equation when he thinks we deserve it. Going by that, I'm guessing we've been more of a problem to him than a solution. 

I wonder if he thinks about us at night. No, not like that, you pervert, but really ever just sat down and thought; 'What am I doing with these people?'. What twist of fate dragged him to us, and what keeps bringing him back? Sure, we're not exactly normal, but he could easily ignore us and get on with his life. 

I bite into the pizza, and stare out the front window. 

Yugi stands up, and slips his jacket back on. We all look at him for a moment, and he smiles weakly.

"I'm going to go back the Game Shop. See you guys later." I watch him leave, and notice he didn't even touch his pizza.

"Yugi." I mutter, and Otogi steals some pepperoni off of Honda's slice. 

Ryou drops his fork onto the floor, shaking violently. His eyes are wide and his pupils big. His lips are moving, he's trying to say something, but it sounds foreign and thick. 

"Ryou! Ryou! Can you hear me?!" Honda waves his hand in front of Ryou, but the boy just continues to tremble. Otogi twirls his hair almost compulsively, and I watch, a bit too shaken up to do anything. 

Jounouchi, being very brash in these kinds of situations, grabs a cup of ice cold water and throws its contents at the white haired boy. He slowly stops shaking, and his eyes focus again. 

"Thank you, Jounouchi. I needed that." He says slowly, quietly, picking out his words with extreme care. He grabs a napkin, and dries his face.

So we sit, in silence. 

We don't ask, because Ryou has secrets of his own that we don't want to know about, and that Ryou doesn't want to tell. 

Ignorance is bliss, they say. What we don't know can't hurt us. 

But knowledge is power.

-----------------

*is attacked by anti-Anzu fans*

I like Anzu. She's really the kind of person you'd want as a friend. Ah. Did that come out as an Anzu/Seto? I hope not. It's just that I couldn't give those kinds of thoughts that I wanted to express to Jounouchi or Honda, and Yugi already had his little section. Anzu's a teenage girl who's very comfortable with who she is, and I think she's much, much deeper than she lets other people know. 

I'm turning into an Anzu fan.

Anzu: It's not a bad thing. ^__^

I'm also keeping Ryou's little outburst a secret for a while. He and his Yami will have a narrative eventually. *pats Ryou*

I live off of reviews. I need them to survive, my precious…[end of bad attempt to get you to review. Do it for Smeagol's sanity.] I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed so far, it always makes my day to check my Inbox and see reviews. ^___^

Anyways, until next time, may the angst be with you. 


End file.
